OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 3, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Relieved Archbishop Alphonse U Than Aung from the pastoral care of Mandalay, Myanmar, transferring him to the titular see of Cusira, Myanmar, with dignity of archbishop.

- Appointed Bishop Charles Maung Bo S.D.B., of Pathein, Myanmar, as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Mandalay, Myanmar.

On Tuesday April 2, it was made public that the Holy Father accepted the resignation of Archbishop Henry Sebastian D'Souza, from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Calcutta, India, upon having reached the age limit. Coadjutor Archbishop Lucas Sirkar S.D.B. succeeds him as archbishop of the same archdiocese.

On Thursday March 28, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Francisco Gil Hellin, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, as metropolitan archbishop of Burgos (area 13,849, population 343,722, Catholics 336,000, priests 601, permanent deacons 1, religious 1645), Spain. The archbishop-elect was born in Murcia, Spain in 1940 and was ordained a priest in 1964. The Holy Father also accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese presented by Archbishop Santiago Martinez Acebes, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Stanislaw Gadecki, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland as archbishop of Poznan (area 9,700, population 1,617,000, Catholics 1,554,000, priests 798, religious 2109), Poland. The archbishop-elect was born in Strzelno, Poland in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1973. The Holy Father also accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Archbishop Juliusz Paetz.

- Appointed Msgr. Zbigniew Kiernikowski, rector of the Pontifical Polish Institute in Rome, as bishop of Siedlce (area 11,440, population 756,562, Catholics 742,809, priests 623, religious 463), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in Szamarzewo, Poland in 1946 and was ordained a priest in 1971.

- Appointed Msgr. Zygmunt Zimowski, official before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as bishop of Radom (area 8,000, population 953,000, Catholics 950,000, priests 727, religious 528), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in Kupienin, Poland in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1973.

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